SEATTLE — A pair of pharmacists from Whitsett, N.C., were the winners of a special text-to-vote competition to highlight independent pharmacy best practices at the Cardinal Health 2013 Retail Business Conference. Kasey Woods and Amy Brian of Midtown Pharmacy were chosen from among three finalists who were highlighted in videos presented at the conference in Seattle at the Washington State Convention Center, during the Aug. 9 morning general session.

Midtown Pharmacy won the competition with its Diabetes University program. (Click below to see a special video interview with Midtown Pharmacy owners Kasey Woods and Amy Brian.) The store uses a series of educational presentations and resources developed by Cardinal Health to offer once-per-month classes for diabetes education and support. The result, said Brian, who is a certified diabetes educator, is that many participants transfer their prescriptions to Midtown after participating. The program also has increased sales of diabetes supplies and helped improve medication adherence among patients in the program. Four weeks after patients complete the program, the store conducts follow-ups by phone and a further follow-up after four months to six months to check patient progress toward goals set during instruction.

“It’s important that we don’t just grab these patients, educate them for a few hours and then turn them loose,” said store co-owner Brian. “We want to provide them ongoing education so that they are constantly learning. Ultimately, this builds loyalty to our store and keeps them coming back.”

Midtown Pharmacy has successfully marketed the program — the cost of which is covered 100% by Medicare and Medicaid — by connecting with doctors’ offices for referrals, providing an overview on their website and through word-of-mouth advocacy.

Cardinal Health will donate $7,000 to the Medical University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy on behalf of Woods and Brian.

Daniel's Drug and Wellness Pharmacy won second-place for its hormone testing and treatment program, whereby it compounds hormone therapies to meet Guthrie's growing need for customized medication. (See below to see a special video interview with Daniel's Drug and Wellness Pharmacy owner Amy Carothers.) It couples the new service with monthly seminars for women, giving them information about hormone therapies and choices, as well as in-home and video educational counseling. The program has grown in volume from 20 to 30 compounded prescriptions per month at the onset to approximately 200 to 300 compounded prescriptions per month.

Coming in third, the Marshalltown Medicap store used Cardinal Health's Inventory Manager to analyze dispensed medications and develop a prescription auto-fill program. (Click below to see a special video interview with Marshalltown Medicap owners Sam and Samantha Zoske.) The program has eliminated patients' wait time for prescriptions and helped increase medication adherence, reducing inventory by 40% and inventory cost by $140,000 in the last year. About 40% to 50% of its patients are signed up for the program.

Cardinal Health also will donate $2,000 to Southwestern Oklahoma State University's College of Pharmacy in honor of Daniel’s Drug and Wellness owner Amy Carothers, and $1,000 to Drake University's College of Pharmacy in honor of Marshalltown Medicap owners Sam and Samantha Zoske.

The three finalists were chosen by members of Cardinal Health’s Retail Advisory Board from a field of 14 unique programs that were featured in a special publication, Independent Pharmacy Best Practice Guide: Innovating Independents 2013, that was presented to all Cardinal Health RBC attendees at this year’s event. (To download a copy, click here.) The 14 pharmacies featured in the special edition were culled from nominations from Cardinal Health’s independent pharmacy sales teams of programs that improve patient care and drive business results.

“The independent pharmacists we serve are always striving to provide high-quality, personalized care to patients while positioning their businesses to succeed,” said Steve Lawrence, SVP of independent sales for Cardinal Health. “We’re delighted to honor this year’s winner and finalists by sharing their best practices at RBC 2013, and we congratulate them for their commitment to community pharmacy excellence.”

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